Am I doing anything wrong?

[pak52b]

Hi,

Seeing as I have only recently been interested in getting in shape (and am not a scientist / nutritionist / trainer / etc.), I had to gather the information I needed through the web. My big problem with the web is basically for every person saying that there's one way to do things, there are 10 more saying that he's an idiot.

I'm going to post my goals, and what I am doing to achieve them, and it would be nice if I could get some feedback to whether I'm screwing something up or not. (Forgive the length - I got carried away....)

First things first, I am a 29 year old male with an office job. Before I started, I weighed 85 kg. with quite a bit of flab due to my office job and the fast food eating habbits we all have at the office. Under the flab, I am athletic, but would still like to gain a bit of muscle - in order to see the results, I would like to get rid of the flab. At the moment - (4 weeks later), I am at the high end of 79 kg.

I realize that to lose weight I need to create a cal. deficit.

My "diet" started by cutting off all cola (at least a liter per day), the 1-2 0.5 liter beers per night (stressy job, and I live in the best-beer-part-of-Germany), and the occasional energy drink (usually monster). So, just by cutting down on those things, I consume at least 800 cal. less than before. In addition, I killed the fast food at lunch - replacing it with salad or something semi-decent (at least in comparison to the fast food) that I brought along.

I try to eat 1 - 1.5g protein per kg body weight - mostly in the form of chicken or turkey breast. I must admit, I don't actively monitor my fat or carb intake, and can only assume that I'm actually eating what I'm supposed to. If I find myself eating to little protein, I will drink a protein shake or something...

As I have a social life, my diet is not as strict as it possibly could be - I will go out to eat on the weekend, etc. and therefore cal counting is virtually impossible. I DO keep track of what I'm eating, but mostly just a rough estimate (unless I am doing the cooking). I understand that eating out isn't neccessarily going to help the most, but I am willing to work out an extra day per week in order to "live".

The next "big thing" to change was to force myself to eat breakfast. As I like to sleep, I usually didn't eat much or anything until lunchtime.

And finally, I do cardio about 4-5 days per week between 45 and 85 minutes. I do an interval training simulating hills, etc. As I bike about 5 miles to and from work everyday I think that I am doing alright - usually on the "downs" its about 130 watts and on the "ups" between 170 and 250 watts, and Ill usually use (according to the display - they use johnson c700 bikes) about 700 cal per hour. My pluse usually stays at around 130bpm on the down and about 150 something on the ups (which is probably a bit more than I should let it go).

My biggest concern is that I am undereating (cal total, carbs, etc.). Mostly, I hear that people who lose 1-2 kg. a month are doing great. Granted, every body works differently and what works for one doesn't work for everyone. Counting calories, and the deficit gained from working out (provided the cal counter is somewhat accurate on the cardio stuff), my "log" shows me having a deficit of up to 1700 cal (peak, usually around 1000ish) (From what I've read, a 500 cal deficit is ok, shouldn't be much more.) The problem is, that I'm not skipping food - if I'm hungry, I'll eat. (Does that really mean - seeing as I was able to keep that weight - that I was living off sugar / fast food fat stuff?)

Also, the deficit assumes I require 2500 cal per day.

I would be happy if someone could review everything and add their two cents. I don't need any "technical stuff", and the method doesn't need to be the most efficient - as mentioned, I have no probs working out a day more or less to even things out (brawn over brain...). (I also understand that weight are supposed to be more efficient than cardio for weight loss....)

Once again, sorry for the length, and if you've actually read everything - many thanks!

/wave

 

[Snezy]

Firstly, congrats on your 6kg loss so far!


Secondly, how tall are you?


Thirdly, I have a similar ideology towards my diet. I eat till I am no longer hungry, once I am at that stage I stop eating. When I am hungry again, I eat. If you are eating healthy foods while doing this, for example plenty of fruits, vegetables, and lean meats then you're probably eating as much as you should be. Cutting the calories in what you drink is huge! Good job on reducing those calories, that probably helped a lot to you losing 6kg! If you aren't hungry and you're eating healthy food I don't think you're eating too little. You're probably eating a very appropriate amount, our bodies are good at telling us when we are doing things it likes and doesn't like.


Fourthly, I would try adding some strength training to your workout regime. If all you do is get skinny you won't have a very appealing frame even if you lose your desired weight. Strength training burns a lot of calories and can really boost your confidence. I highly recommend doing some strength training. Start off by 3 sets of as many push ups and sit ups as you can do. Once you feel comfortable doing 3 sets of 20 push ups it's probably time to research some new exercises .


Other than that I think you're on the right track. I believe if you keep this up, and make it your permanent lifestyle you'll have a much healthier and better looking body! Good luck!

 

[pak52b]

Thanks for the reply (and for the gz)!


Ehm, I'm 175cm (should be 5' 10"). I'm guessing that I should lose another 8 kg before the fat layer is mostly gone.


So, basically you're saying, that having "too much of a deficit" shouldn't happen if you listen to your body and eat when it wants food, and by chosing what you eat (healthy foods, etc.). My fruits and vegs should be taken care of I think - I try to work them in where possible.


In combination with exercise the deficit can get really big (depending on the accuracy of the cal counter of course) and that was somewhat worrying me - that I'm pushing things too far for the amount of food I eat. From what I've read, eating too little can be a cause of the yo-yo: your metabolism goes into famine-mode and packs on the fat when it can for disasterous times...


About the strength training - I've been planning to weave in weight training once or twice a week - at least upper body wise. (I go to the gym to do cardio anyways, so it's not really much of a change I guess...)

 

[Snezy]

Yup, your body will tell you how your doing. If you feel energetic that's a good sign, if you feel constantly tired and fatigued perhaps you should try eating a little bit more.


Anyways if your just starting to get into strength training at the gym your goal should be to be doing free weights. If you don't want to get into them right away or are a little intimidated just do some machines until you have the endurance and confidence to do free weights. They're a much better exercise in comparison to the machines as they involve more muscle groups and your stabilizers.

 

[fortyfour]

If you feel energetic that's a good sign, if you feel constantly tired and fatigued perhaps you should try eating a little bit more.

I think this is a bit misleading.


I don't think our bodies tell us very clearly what we need at all. Sure if we are following good eating habits, a sign of hunger should indicate genuine hunger and need for food. Being tired and fatigued can be due to a number of things, not just insufficient food. Likewise feeling energetic is also not necessarily that we are getting a good amount of food.


Sometimes we can function really well on very little food and sometimes we feel ratshit when we are eating more than enough. I have found that our moods interfere with the clarity of the messages our bodies send us. That is why it is better to follow a more rational method. I don't htink its necessary to go as far as counting calories.


In your situaiton if you changed nothing else but gave up all those high calorie drinks you'd be losing weight. For sure! Whether your diet is balanced is another matter. If you know what is involved in a sensible balanced diet, then you should be able to make sensible eating decisions.

 

[San2]

Your body can send you very confusing messages sometimes. I can be like a hamster on speed without eating anything and actually being starving hungry. I go to work in the morning without breakfast, and with a rather small dinner the night before, and people comment on me being 'too energetic' in the mornings. Once I come home and have food, I start winding down and actually getting tired. So it isn't always as easy as saying 'if you're constantly tired, try eating more'.